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In the short drama 'The Arrow of Cupid', Detective Ryu Seung-ryong and Cupid Jin Seon-kyu are facing off.
Entertainment

Hyundai raises the content marketing bar with its first
short drama

5 minute read

It’s well known that Korea has a strong tradition in archery. Its team is one of the best in the world, and Hyundai has long supported the Korea Archery Team with innovative training technology. Now, we are taking aim at a new target—the cinema. Our coming K-movie cooperation film and short drama series put archery in a unique spotlight.

From Olympic gold to the silver screen

As archery enthusiasts, we know that every tournament has exciting stories and surprises. And we decided it was time to tell our own tales with two new cinematic highlights, the K-film 'Amazon Bullseye' and short drama 'The Arrow of Cupid.'

A male archer is in position, preparing to draw the bowstring

'Amazon Bullseye' hits the funny bone

Our upcoming K-movie, 'Amazon Bullseye' is a comedy/human film set for release at the end of October 2024. The movie tells the story of the former archery medalist Jin Bong, who travels to the remote Amazon Rain Forest in search of Indigenous bowmen with whom he plans to form a national archery team.

Two cast members of the film are giving an outside interview
The 'Amazon Bullseye' movie poster shows two of the film's protagonists lost in the Amazon jungle and surrounded by indigenous warriors

A short drama created in collaboration with renowned actors and writers

We teamed up with the head film writer, Bae Se-young, and lead actors Ryu Seung-ryong and Jin Seon-kyu to create an engaging 'short drama' series.

Short drama is a format familiar to users of platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts and caters to the growing preference for fast-paced narratives and brief content, reflecting the latest content consumption trends. This short drama consists of four episodes, each lasting about a minute, presenting audiences with entertaining drama vignettes that set themselves apart from standard advertisements. Short-form dramas have gained popularity in global markets, including the US, China, Japan, and of course Korea, becoming one of the most popular content formats among Gen Z audiences.

Actor Ryu Seung-ryong, dressed as a detective, is staring intently at the camera.

The short drama 'The Arrow of Cupid'

Cupid goes undercover in this short drama series to steal secrets. The opening scene shows the main actor Ryu playing the role of a detective whose serious, yet subtly humorous expression grabs the viewer's attention. He is soon joined by the co-lead Jin, wearing a cupid costume which instantly breaks the tension and sets the scene for more laughs. One aim of this short drama series is to blur the boundary between art and advertisement, leaving viewers unsure of whether or not they just saw an ad.

Given the ongoing decline in ad viewership and the growing resistance to commercial content, our goal was to present Hyundai's archery technology in an organic way within an amusing storyline that stands out among conventional communication. Building on our prior experience with the snack movie 'Night Fishing', we also applied innovative content marketing strategies to the film's spin-off, continuing to explore and develop new content genres. Our goal with this short drama is to engage both domestic film enthusiasts and archery fans by offering organic snackable content rather than traditional forms of advertising.

The detective works on his laptop while at the police station
Cupid stands next to a tree and gets ready to shoot an arrow

But why 'Cupid'?

In thinking of Cupid, the image of a bow and arrow naturally comes to mind. In this drama, Jin's role as Cupid is a playful interpretation of archery as a sport. Unsuccessfully, Cupid tries to sneak into the training camp of the Korea Archery National Team—renowned for using Hyundai Motor Group's cutting-edge archery R&D technology, in an attempt to learn their archery skills. However, his covert mission is quickly uncovered, leading to an interrogation by detective Ryu. Through the ensuing humorous exchanges between Cupid and the detective, the advertisement entertainingly introduces key archery technologies.

Actor Jin, dressed as Cupid, smiles at the camera

Two big shots get back together

The movie 'Amazon Bullseye' scores big in the 'star department' with the reunion of lead actors Ryu Seung-ryong and Jin Sun-kyu, both of whom previously delivered stellar performances in the 2019 hit Korean film ‘Extreme Job’, which attracted over 10 million viewers at the box office. Their collaboration in 'Amazon Bullseye' and unique chemistry promises to captivate audiences once again. The screenplay was written by Bae Se-young, who is renowned for her work in acclaimed Korean comedy movies such as Extreme Job and Intimate Strangers. Her talent for comedic dialogue is well-known and gives 'Amazon Bullseye' its 'laugh guarantee.'

A scene from Cupid where two men argue in a car

Hyundai branding as easter eggs

As a proud official sponsor of the World Archery Championships, Hyundai branding is carefully proportioned throughout the story. For instance, in the final climatic scene, where the Amazon archers display their talent, The all-new SANTA FE model is placed almost like an Easter egg.

A female member of the Korean archery team aims at a target during a competition

Hitting new targets

Hyundai's collaboration with the film 'Amazon Bullseye' and creation of the spin-off short drama 'The Arrow of Cupid’ were designed to introduce archery R&D contributions to a broader audience. We hope this innovative approach will open new creative avenues to connect with people for some storytelling fun.

Keep tuned and don’t miss out on 'Amazon Bullseye’ and
'The Arrow of Cupid!'

Follow @hyundai_kor on YouTube for film sneak peeks.

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